From the Staircase
by HarrysPott
Summary: Bella is asked to stay with Carlisle and Esme at the Cullen's home while the rest of the family goes on a hunting trip. Everything changes when Bella's natural clumsiness puts Esme in the position of making the most important decision the Cullen family has faced in a century.
1. Chapter 1

"I'm going to miss you this weekend." I sighed, running my hand down Edward's chest, playing with the buttons on his shirt. He was leaving for four days to go on a hunting trip with his siblings, as it was clear that Monday would be plenty sunny and not suitable for the Cullens to be at school. Alice and Emmett said multiple times that they would bring me if I wasn't human, but I didn't feel any less left out, especially when Edward nearly ripped off their head every time they mentioned it.

"I know, love." I felt him press a cold kiss to my forehead, "I don't like to leave you, but you know how convincing Alice can be. I'll be back before you know it." Before I even had the chance to respond, he was gone. I looked around Edward's room, wondering what I was going to do during the next four days staying with Carlisle and Esme.

I really wish Edward would have just let me stay at home or with Jacob. Even with Victoria on the loose, the pack has enough members to keep an eye on me at Charlie's. They have to stick close anyway to make sure that my dad doesn't get caught up in the mess, so of course I thought staying at his house for precautionary reasons was unnecessary. I had a feeling, though, that it had more to do with my best friend than with the potential danger Victoria presented.

It wasn't that I didn't want to spend time with Edward's parents. I loved Carlisle and Esme, they were my family, but I knew that they didn't often get alone time together and the last thing I wanted was to intrude. I stayed in Edward's room, browsing through the CDs and thinking about what I was going to do about dinner when I heard a soft knock at the door.

"Come in." I said at a normal volume. I was getting more used to the fact that even whispers could be heard throughout the house with my vampire family. Emmett so kindly reminded me of it every time Edward and I were shut in his room for any period of time.

"Hi, Bella." Esme walked into the room smiling. Her caramel hair was tied back into a low bun – something that was rare for her. Finding Esme in a casual, relaxed setting was not a common occurrence, especially because she had recently started a design business and was out and about much more often meeting with clients.

"Hi, Esme," I turned to face her from my position in front of Edward's CD collection. "Thanks again for letting me stay here. I know Edward feels much better about leaving knowing that I'm with you and Carlisle." I played with the end of my black long-sleeved shirt. The lace peeking out of the ends was definitely not my normal style, but I had put it on with no complaints this morning knowing that I would have four blissful days of not having to wear what Alice had picked out for me. She, of course, saw that none of her purchases would be touched over the long weekend and had given me the cold shoulder all morning.

"Of course, Bella!" She walked closer to me, her expression becoming even more motherly, if that was possible. "You know that I consider you my daughter and this is your home. I hope that you can soon feel that way, too." Esme put her arm around my shoulders at her last confession. I was not used to having a mother figure in my life that genuinely knew how to calm me down as much as Esme. My mother was great, and I loved her very much, but our relationship was more sibling-like than anything else.

I leaned into her embrace and smiled. Somehow, this small interaction had made me feel a million times better about staying at the Cullen house without my boyfriend. Or…fiancé? Ugh. That was definitely something I should think through while I didn't have Edward by my side at all times. Esme began speaking, which quickly brought me out of my spiraling thoughts about her son. "I was thinking that while you're here I could teach you about painting or interior design if you'd like. We could spend some time together and it would keep your mind off of things," she finished with a wink and a squeeze to my shoulders.

I smiled and let out an airy laugh. I was a fool to think I could hide my discomfort from my second mother. "I would love that, Esme. Thank you." I knew she could tell that I was thanking her for more than the offer to teach me about her hobbies.

"Why don't you come with me to my art room? It's right across the hall from Carlisle's office." Carlisle was at work, but Edward had taken me to his study before to explain his family's history. It was one of the best stories I had ever heard, but also occurred during one of the worst nights of my life. I shuddered slightly, trying to put my 18th birthday far out of my mind.

Following Esme out of Edward's room, I remembered that I should probably change out of the nice shirt I was wearing. My track record for not spilling things definitely was not giving me any more confidence when it came to putting paint on the canvas instead of my clothes. "Esme, I'm going to run out to my truck and grab my bag. I don't think I should wear this outfit if I'm going to paint. Alice might kill me," I chuckled.

Her beautiful laugh filled the hallway. "Sounds like a good idea, sweetheart. I'll get everything set up." It would only take her seconds to get the materials ready, but it was nice to think that she wouldn't just sit around and wait for my slow, human body to complete the simple task of walking out to my car and back.

I don't know if I was just too distracted to notice where I was walking. God knows that happens regularly. Maybe it was my subconscious self, frustrated that Edward refused to change me until I had all of the right "human" experiences. Or maybe it was fate. In the long run it really doesn't matter why it happened. What matters is that in the split second that Esme was distracted with something, I tripped. I tripped just inches from the top of the stairs, and I fell.


	2. Chapter 2

Fear. Embarrassment. Anxiety. Panic. For a brief moment my mind went to Jasper, wondering what he would feel coming from me if he were here right now. I'm sure I screamed, too. Who wouldn't when falling down a flight of stairs? But of course, I couldn't just simply fall down the stairs and gain a few bruises to add to my collection. I had to fall face-first – my head, neck, and torso taking the first blow from the offending steps. Carlisle would tell me later that I had broken three ribs, one of them puncturing my right lung. And, in a truly "Bella-like" grand finale, I snapped my left femur, immediately severing the femoral artery.

To be honest, the memory is hazy. I'm not sure if it's because of my current condition or because I had hit my head, but either way most of the details came from Esme after the fact. I know that Esme arrived just in time to see me hit the ground, saving my head from one final smack to the floor with her speed. I vaguely remember hearing her say my name over and over again. I remember thinking it was odd that I wasn't feeling any pain from a fall like that. I know now that I was dying.

The only thing that is clear to me from the incident is the burning. At first, I thought my body had caught on fire somehow. It only took me a moment to figure out what had really happened. It was worse in my neck and my wrists than over the rest of my body and I knew that Esme must have bitten me. It was as though I could feel every single cell as it burned off any traces of being human.

There came a point in the burning when I thought it would never end. It felt like it had been going on for years. And then, finally, it slowed down. As each new area cooled, it felt completely different than before. I could feel every stitch in my clothes and each current of air as it passed over my skin. My heart gave one more fluttery beat and then stopped all together. I took a deep, unnecessary breath and hesitantly opened my eyes.

I often tried to imagine what it would be like to wake up as a vampire, but none of my daydreams could have lived up to the reality. It was overwhelming, yet my brain could easily sort out each and every sound and sight around me in a matter of seconds. For example, the small gasp I heard coming from the right side of the room. I turned my head, much faster than I would have been able to if I was human and hurt. Esme was standing near the large window of the room I was in, her small hand covering her mouth as she looked at me with watery eyes. I was already aware that the tears would never spill over, but her small sobs were enough to portray her emotions.

"Esme…" My eyes grew wide at the sound of my own voice. It was beautiful, like hers and the rest of the Cullens. Suddenly I remembered that Edward and his siblings were not home when I fell, and I sat up, too fast. "Esme, is everyone still gone? What happened?" As soon as I addressed her she came toward me, sitting down next to me on the bed. Edward's bed.

"Bella." Carlisle walked into the room and came to stand in front of us. "How are you feeling, dear?" I thought about that for a moment before responding. I felt great, honestly. Other than my throat, but I had known to expect that part. It had nothing on the burning of the change, anyway.

"I feel good, Carlisle, thank you." I smiled, attempting to relieve some of the tension in the room. I turned to Esme and reached for her hand as she brushed my hair back from my face.

"The kids are still out hunting, lovely. We tried to call them, but their phones don't seem to have service. I'm honestly concerned that Alice hasn't seen anything." Her eyebrows drew together as she spoke of her worries. "They should be back tomorrow, though." Esme was running her hand down my hair as she spoke. It felt nice, and I leaned in to the touch.

"So it's Sunday, then." I said quietly. What was I going to do about Charlie? I was supposed to be back at school tomorrow, and then back home tomorrow night. Obviously, we would not be doing that now. Would I have to fake my own death and leave Forks behind like we discussed doing after graduation?

"Don't worry about that now, Bella." Carlisle started. "We will figure it out when Edward gets back. He will want to be a part of this. For now, we need to teach you how to hunt." At his declaration, the pain in my throat became a little more difficult to bear. I stood up and was out of the bedroom door before I even finished my next thought. However, I came to a stop at the top of the stairs, remembering bits and pieces of what happened to me three days earlier.

"This is where I fell." I don't know if I was talking to myself or to Carlisle and Esme, but Carlisle responded anyway.

"Yes." He put his arm around my shoulders. "Your injuries were extensive dear. You had three broken ribs, a punctured lung, a ruptured artery, and slight head injuries."

As a human, my head would have been spinning at this new information. I was actually able to process what that meant relatively quickly but imagining myself sprawled at the bottom of the stairs was much more difficult. I looked at Esme with a new appreciation than before, realizing what she must have gone through in those few short minutes. Once again, I reached out to hold her hand in my new, strong one.

"Thank you," I whispered when she looked at me. Her eyes filled up again as she leaned over to kiss my forehead. We walked down the stairs together, and Esme held tightly onto my hand until we were out the front door and approaching the tree line toward the east of the house.

"Okay, Bella, I want you to listen very carefully to my instructions." I turned to face Carlisle, suddenly very nervous that I was going to make a mistake. "It is imperative that you are careful about hunting here. I don't want to take you very far just in case they come home early. Do not run south-west. Stick to the north-east and you should be fine. We will be with you, but you will be faster than us. Listen for the wild life and when you've found it, let your natural instincts take over. Are you ready?" He placed his hand on my shoulder.

I was more than ready. Every second since he had mentioned hunting I was getting more impatient. I gave him a quick nod and set off in the direction I was told to. It occurred to me that I should be grateful that I had the undivided attention of Carlisle and Esme for my first hunt, but I was still concerned about making a fool of myself. That thought didn't last long, however, because as soon as I smelled the buck about three miles from the Cullen home, all logical thought was out of my mind. I allowed my instincts to take over just like Carlisle said. The feeling was indescribable and only one thought passed through my mind while I was drinking, and it was that I was absolutely made for this life.


	3. Chapter 3

I took down two more deer before I felt satisfied. I was beginning to have even more appreciation for the Cullens and what they put up with every day having me around if this was how I felt around animal blood. I couldn't imagine having something better smelling strutting around and not being able to drain it dry. Of course, I knew that I would gain better self-control the longer I was a vampire, but I appreciated them nonetheless.

By the time I made my way back to Carlisle and Esme using my new and improved sense of smell I was self-conscious all over again about the blood soaking my clothes and, admittedly, parts of my hair. I shouldn't have expected any less, but I was greeting with smiles and tender looks anyway. We began the run back to our house so that I could clean up. I smiled as I got lost in my own thoughts. _Our house_. When had I started calling it that? That didn't matter, though. What did matter was that I knew it was the truth. I wouldn't call anywhere else home again without the Cullens.

A high-pitched noise broke me from my daydreaming. I looked around a bit frantically in an attempt to figure out what the noise was. I nearly laughed when I realized that it was just a cell phone until I saw the look on Esme's face. It looked like she would throw up on spot if that were possible. Panic took over her features as she stood frozen, staring at the screen. Carlisle moved to her side and gently took the device from her hands, making eye contact with me as he lifted it up to his ear.

"Edward," Carlisle said. I suddenly understood what Esme was feeling. How could I have put the rest of the family – my fiancé – out of my mind so easily? I felt a crushing sense of doubt as I waited to hear my favorite sound come from the other end of the phone. What if he was disappointed? What if he left again when he found out what had happened? All of the hard work put into our relationship to regain trust after our months apart seemed on the edge of falling apart as I felt what must be venom fill my eyes. Of course, all of this happened within a matter of two seconds with the speed of my vampire brain, but even that was a long pause for one of us.

"Carlisle, what the _hell_ is going on?" Edward's muffled voice came through the speaker. Carlisle shut his eyes and sighed, surely sensing the anger and disbelief in his son's tone. "Carlisle, please. Alice had a vision and we don't know what it means. I'm worried." Calmer, but still demanding.

"Edward, I know this isn't what you want to hear," he started, "but I think you need to come home to see what's happened." I thought I could hear a frustrated groan.

"Is she okay, Carlisle?" The pain in his voice could have shattered my heart. I was next to Carlisle in an instant, begging with my eyes to speak to him, knowing he wouldn't fully believe anything that didn't come straight from me.

The small shake of his head told me enough. I knew that Edward would be able to tell what I was if I spoke to him, but it was worth a shot. I turned to Esme and pulled her into a hug, unsure that I could stand hearing the sadness and worry coming from the person that I loved more than anything or anyone without doing something to fix it.

"Yes, she's fine. In fact, I think I can say with 100% positivity that she'll be the first face you see waiting for you when you get back. She's anxious to see you." Carlisle sent me a small smile. I nodded, agreeing with him whole-heartedly. I could feel Esme running her hand through my hair, soothing me as her husband finished the conversation quickly.

We ran silently toward our Forks home. I knew the next few days would bring terrible pain as I had to break the news to Edward and decide how I was going to go about removing myself from the lives of the humans that I loved. However, even knowing this, I still couldn't bring myself to be upset about becoming an immortal.

I thought through how Edward would react about a million times before the sun began to rise the next morning. I reminded myself to breathe, no matter how unnecessary, when I heard five pairs of feet running through the forest a few miles away. With only a brief flashback to what had literally landed me in this position a few days prior, I descended the stairs to greet them.


	4. Chapter 4

I felt Carlisle and Esme behind me as I reached the front door. I knew I would see Edward and his siblings come out of the forest line any second and that if my heart could still beat it would be going crazy in that moment. Esme placed her hand on my shoulder as we walked out onto the porch and waited. In reality, it took about four seconds before they appeared, however, it felt like hours as I tried to predict what route this situation would take.

The second the group came into sight it was chaos. The only person that didn't immediately begin speaking was Edward, which I knew because I was focused on his face, searching for a reaction. Everyone else's voices became background noise as Edward slowly made his way toward us. I forced my legs to carry me down the porch stairs and across the yard to meet him halfway. The other members of our family could have started killing each other right then and I still wouldn't have been able to tear my eyes away from Edward's face. It was blank. His eyes were focused on me but gave no indication of his thoughts or feelings on seeing me this way. I was getting more nervous by the millisecond and before I knew it, we were standing less than a foot away from each other.

Edward's eyes darted around my face for a moment before he reached out and pulled me in for a fierce hug. I heard him release a shuttering breath as he held me. My arms slowly came around him, fingers digging into his black sweater. I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding as we stood there silently, together.

It was then that the family's voices made their way into my consciousness. I heard Carlisle calmly explaining that it was my place to tell everyone what had happened followed by a round of protests and questions.

"But why didn't I see it? Were the wolves involved?" Alice. Her voice sounded even more beautiful than I remembered, and I was suddenly itching to see her. I pulled my head up out of Edward's shoulder just enough to see the rest of the yard and made eye contact with my new sister. If I had the ability to cry, I would have. I saw only love and concern in her gaze as she gave me a small smile. I let my eyes wander to the rest of the family. I saw Jasper, his arm around Esme whispering something to her that I surprisingly could not hear. Emmett was standing with his hands on Rosalie's hips, watching the interaction between Carlisle and Alice. I expected a glare or angry words from his wife, but instead she was staring intently at the ground.

My focus switched back to the man in my arms and I turned my face back into his shoulder. I took a breath and pressed a light kiss to his neck right where it peeked out of the collar of his sweater. This seemed to pull him out of whatever trance he was in because he began to move. He took a step back and his hands traveled from my back the frame the sides of my face. We looked into each other's eyes for a moment before he leaned in to kiss my forehead and turned to face the rest of the family.

"Let's go inside and sit down. We clearly have some things to discuss." I let a smile take over my features as I realized how much he sounded like Carlisle. We led the way inside and Edward took one of the chairs in the living room, pulling me onto his lap. I sighed in relief, taking that as a clear sign that he was not angry enough to put a wedge in our relationship. Everyone settled quickly, eager to have some understanding of what had happened in the last four days, I'm sure.

I noticed everyone was looking at me and suddenly panicked. Would they be angry with Esme? How was I supposed to tell a story about something when I didn't remember most of it anyway? The anxiety melted away and I let out a laugh, sending a 'thank you' smile to Jasper who returned it with a wink. This was my family and they would react just how I needed them to, I was sure of it.

"Well, I guess I'll start at the beginning," I started. I felt Edward's hand tighten on my hip and realized that he hadn't heard me speak yet. I placed my hand on top of his and prepared myself to continue. "Three days ago, I was attempting to walk down the stairs and in true Bella fashion I tripped, right at the top."

I heard Emmett laugh, which gave me confidence as I was reassured that things weren't going to be _that_ different after all. I gave him a playful glare before starting back into the story of my changing.

"By the time I was done falling I had three broken ribs, a punctured lung, a broken femur, and a severed femoral artery," I knew this would cause a reaction in Edward, so I tightened my grip on his hand. I didn't forget that I was stronger now and I could provide more comfort in small ways like that. He pulled me closer, resting his forehead on my back. "Esme and I were here alone, and she had no choice but to change me. I don't remember much, but she was amazing." I made eye contact with Esme as she gave me a watery smile. I knew this part would make her emotional.

I looked to Carlisle for help. This was the part I didn't remember, and I wasn't sure how to proceed. He nodded and took over from there. I looked around the room while he spoke, outlining my change and the first day of me being a newborn. All of my family members had their attention fully set on Carlisle and I was surprised to find that all of their expressions were pleasant. We had already come to the agreement that I would eventually join the family, but I had been worried about some of the reactions among the group. Rosalie, particularly, shocked me as she adopted a concern look and turned to face me.

"Bella, what are you planning to do about your family and school? What are we going to do about the wolves?" My stomach dropped. This was the topic I had managed to avoid thus far and I did not particularly want to discuss it at the moment. I had to, though, and it upset me immensely.

"I don't see another option but to fake my death or disappearance. It's going to wreck Charlie." I felt my eyes fill with venom and I turned into Edward's chest. He kissed the top of my head and rubbed my back lightly.

Edward took the question about the wolves, sensing that I needed a break from the responsibility of carrying the conversation. "I think we should be honest with the pack. They care about Bella and they might let it slide if they knew she would have died otherwise." I was pleased with this logic. I didn't want Jacob to think I was dead or missing too if I could help it.

"And if they decide to attack anyway?" The question came from Jasper. It was a valid concern as they had made their opinion on my change clear from the beginning. I didn't want to risk the family getting hurt on my account.

"What if we tell them after we leave? I can call Jacob and explain everything when we are far enough away that they wouldn't be able to reach us without traveling." I pulled myself together enough to face my family while I made my suggestion. It seemed that no one had an immediate argument against this plan, and we all turned to Carlisle to make the final decision.

"I think that is a good plan to start out with, Bella." He stood and began to walk toward his study. "Let's have everyone start packing the important things and we will hash out details as we go. Alice, do you see any problems so far?" I tuned out the rest of the conversation and turned to face my fiancé. I put my hand on his cheek and brushed my thumb across his lips, feeling the strong desire to capture them with my own and feel them with my new strength for the first time. I've never been one for PDA, however, so I settled for waiting another few minutes.

"I love you, Bella." Edward's honey eyes locked onto my own.

"I love you, too. More than anything." I smiled, partially giving in to my urges and leaning in to kiss his cheek. "You're not angry with me?" I asked the question that had been burning in me since I woke up from the change.

"Angry? Bella of course not." He stood up, taking me with him so that we were pressed together as much as possible. I noticed that the family had vacated the room and moved to put both of my arms around his neck. "I'm just happy you're okay and that I officially have you forever."

My stomach fluttered as he said the word that had been running around my head all day. _Forever._ I closed the gap between us and felt his lips on mine, for the first time at the same temperature. "Forever."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It had been a week since my transformation. Things were going well, and I was progressing quickly in controlling my thirst. The most difficult part of it all was having to listen to Carlisle tell Charlie that I had died.

We played around with the idea of putting me in a casket and having me pretend to be dead, but I didn't think I could handle that. Instead, we told Charlie that I had crashed my truck and that my body was burned beyond recognition. They held a funeral while I sat at home with Edward, who had claimed to be too distraught to attend.

Rosalie took care of crashing the truck and setting it on fire. She had been openly friendly with me in the last seven days, thoroughly confusing everyone although no one said so out loud. We had decided to leave Forks and head up to Alaska to visit the Denali coven and decide where we were relocating to from there. I was packing up some of Edward's things when she walked in, leaning against the door frame.

"Hey, Bella," she started, "did Edward tell you when he and the boys will be back? I'm about _this_ close to throwing away all of Emmett's collected crap that doesn't mean anything important if he doesn't come pack it up." There was a hint of a smile on her face.

"Uh.. no he didn't actually say anything about the time." I tried to lighten up, "But, knowing Edward, he will force them to come back as soon as possible. You know, newborn girlfriend and the lack of needing to be careful and everything." I giggled.

Rosalie openly laughed, a beautiful sound. "Sounds about right. Do you want some company?"

The shock must have been apparent in my features because Rose sighed and sat on the bed. She wrung her hands together slightly, seeming uncharacteristically nervous as she began to talk.

"Bella, I never hated you. You know that, right?" She looked at me, eyebrows raised in question.

"I mean, I kind of assumed you did." I turned to face her from my spot on the floor. "Can you blame me?"

"No I guess not." Rosalie shook her head, looking down. "I didn't hate you, I hated your choices. I never got a choice, you know. I would not have chosen to become a vampire. I wanted children, and that opportunity was stolen from me by this life." I could see her eyes filling with tears. "You were going to throw it away."

"Rose, I know you wanted that, but –" I was cut off by Rosalie reaching her hand out as if asking me to wait.

"I know, Bella. I was angry all the same." The eye contact she made with me then was intense. "Your choice was taken too, last weekend. I feel like I can relate to you more, now." She offered me a small smile. "I am sorry, for what it's worth. I should have been nicer to you from the start."

I was next to Rose on the bed within a second. I wasn't sure if she would accept a hug, but I decided to try it all the same. I wrapped my arms around her and felt her return the gesture as the voices of our mates, brothers, and father filled the house from downstairs. I pulled back and we shared watery grins as we made our way out of the room and toward the family, where we were both meant to be.


End file.
